Drug maker Schering-Plough Corp. reports earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter on Monday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: In December, the company ended its shareholder rights, or "poison pill," plan and removed a provision that another such plan cannot be instated without getting shareholder approval within 12 months. Moody's also boosted its outlook for the company to "Positive" from "Stable" citing improved cash flow relative to debt.

In October, Schering-Plough Corp. got Food and Drug Administration approval to sell its anti-fungal medication Noxafil to treat an infection of the mouth and throat, a month after the agency approved it for life-threatening infections in leukemia patients.

EXPECTATIONS: Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial estimate fourth-quarter earnings of 17 cents on revenue of $2.53 billion.

ANALYST TAKE: Prudential Equity's Tim Anderson, who rates the company "Overweight," raised his earnings estimate by 2 cents per share to match the Thomson consensus of 17 cents. Despite the rise of generic cholesterol-lowering drugs, Anderson sees higher-than-expected sales of Vytorin and Zetia, both sold through a joint venture with Merck & Co. Vytorin is a combination of Zetia and Merck & Co.'s Zocor.

Leerink Swann's Seamus Fernandez, another "Outperform," sees Schering-Plough coming in ahead of consensus on leverage from the cholesterol joint venture.

However, Citigroup's George Grofik is a little more cautious, thinking the company will hit consensus. He retained his "Hold," believing that the cholesterol joint venture has very small safety margin given several competitors in the field.

WHAT'S AHEAD: The company expects to gain approval to sell Zetia in Japan in 2007. Schering-Plough would co-promote the drug there with Bayer AG rather than Merck. Schering-Plough predicts that Japanese Zetia sales will contribute to top-line growth in 2007.

STOCK PERFORMANCE: Shares of Schering-Plough rose nearly 9 percent over the fourth quarter to close at $23.64, and grew by more than 13 percent over the year.